Rushdie's 'Satanic Verses' can be imported in India after court is told 1988 ban order can't be found

India’s ban on importing author Salman Rushdie’s book “The Satanic Verses” has been lifted after a court said officials were unable to find the original order.

NEW DELHI, India — India’s three-decade ban on importing author Salman Rushdie’s controversial book “The Satanic Verses” has effectively been lifted after a court said the government was unable to produce the original notification that imposed the ban.

The India-born British author’s novel was banned by India in 1988 after some Muslims viewed it as blasphemous. The Delhi High Court was hearing a 2019 case challenging the import ban of the book in India.

According to a Nov. 5 court order, India’s government told the Delhi High Court that the import ban order “was untraceable and, therefore could not be produced.”

As a result, the court said it had “no other option except to presume that no such notification exists.”

“The ban has been lifted as of Nov. 5 because there is no notification,” said Uddyam Mukherjee, lawyer for petitioner Sandipan Khan.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/salman-rushdie-satanic-verses-ban-lifted-india-rcna179264

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